1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to laser sights for use on small firearms, particularly semi-automatic handguns.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that even skilled marksman with a handgun have been unable to hit a target as close as 7 meters when attempting to draw the weapon and fire at speed. In target shooting, the shooter must obtaining the proper stance by carefully positioning the feet and the "free" hand to find the most stable condition, producing no muscular strain that will adversely effect the accuracy of the shot. Most importantly, the shooter must be able to obtain an identical position each time the weapon is fired to achieve the greatest accuracy. As the whole upper torso moves during each breath, breath control plays a vital role in the process. Since there can be no body movement at the time the trigger is fired, obviously the act of breathing must be stopped during the time the weapon is aimed and fired.
Sight picture and aim are critical if the shooter is to fire the most accurate shot or series of shots. When a mechanical pistol sight is properly aligned, the top of the front sight should be level with the top of the rear sight, with an equal amount of light on either side of the front sight. Using this sight picture requires that the shooter focus his shooting eye so that the sights are in focus and the target is out of focus. Added to the difficulty, the trigger, all of the above must be maintained while the trigger is released using direct, even pressure to keep the barrel of the gun pointing at the target. These skills require tremendous practice, with each shot fired needing the utmost concentration if the shooter is to obtain maximum accuracy.
It is clear that the recommended methods of achieving maximum shooting accuracy useful for target shooting, must be severely modified when a handgun is used in a law enforcement situation. While the degree of accuracy necessary for target shooting and the distances and substantial lower, accuracy is still vital. Law enforcement official are instructed to fire only as a last resort, cognizant of the fact that their intended target will mostly be killed. Shooting to wound occurs only in the movies. Law enforcement officers typically use higher caliber handguns, mostly 9 mm, which are designed to immobilize with a single shot if that shot strikes a vital area. Given the inherent inaccuracies in the shooting process itself, exacerbated by the stress and fear of the police officer in what may be a life threatening situation for him/her, the exact location of the bullet where millimeters can mean the difference between death and survival cannot be known a priori by the even the most skilled marksman.
Mechanical sights have limited value in many situation where an officer must quickly draw his gun, perhaps while moving, and fire at a close target without sufficient time to properly obtain a sight picture. Under these circumstances, instinctive aiming, that is, not using the sights but rather "feeling where the gun barrel is pointing using the positioning of the hand holding the gun, is the preferred method. While this method, akin to the typical television cowboy shootouts, can be reasonably effective at short distances, obviously large errors in aiming are easily introduced, especially when the officer must frequently fire his/her weapon from a different hand position that has been used for practice. For example, bullet proof shields are used to protect the officer from being fired upon such as in a riot situation. In those circumstance, the officer must reach around his/her shield or other barricade and instinctively aim and fire his/her gun with the handgun in a very different orientation that would be experience if fired from a standing, drawn from a holster position. Small changes in barrel orientation due to the sight radius of the typical law enforcement handgun can produce substantial errors relative to the target. Accurate instinctive shooting is not considered practical beyond 20 feet for the average shooter.
A solution to this problem has been the introduction of laser sights for use with handguns. The typical laser sight is mounted on the top on the handgun or on the bottom. The laser sight when properly aligned, places a red light dot on the target where the bullet will strike if the gun is fired. Using this type of sight, enables the law officer to rapidly instinctively properly position the weapon and be certain of his/her intended target. Using a laser sight enables accurate shots to be fired at distances of more than 50 feet, sufficient for most combat law enforcement situations requiring the use of handguns.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,086, issued to Houde-Walter on Jun. 19, 1990, discloses installing the laser sight within the recoil spring guide. The use of the recoil spring guide to house the laser sight components enables the firearm to be holstered in a normal manner. The use of the spring recoil guide presents alignment problems to ensure accuracy. In other words, the laser within the recoil guide is difficult to align with the barrel of the firearm. Therefore, misalignment of the sight resulting in poor accuracy is likely.
However, prior art laser devices have several disadvantages. As they are mounted either on the top or the bottom of the weapon, the balance of the gun is disturbed which makes it more difficult for the shooter to rapidly use his/her instinctive sighting technique to move gun into alignment for hitting the desired target. Also, since prior art laser sights are very bulky in comparison to traditional mechanical sights, the weapon cannot be used in a standard holster. Further, the laser sight is extremely vulnerable to being hit due to extending substantially beyond the normal profile of the weapon and thereby misalignment of the sight and defeating the advantages offered by the laser sight. A laser sight capable of being installed in a semi-automatic handgun, easily and accurately adjustable, is not disclosed in the prior art.